Oshala complains to CID over Immigration Chief’s conduct

Diana’s citizenship case:

Civil society activist Oshala Herath has, in a letter dated March 07, 2023, requested DIG CID S.P. Ranasinghe, to conduct an investigation into the alleged disappearance of documents pertaining to State Tourism Minister Diana Gamage’s forged birth certificate case.

Referring to proceedings at the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s court, on March 03, complainant, Herath, said if documents, at the Immigration and Emigration Department, had been misplaced, the head of the Department, Harsha Illukpitiya, should be held responsible over his direct, or indirect, involvement.

Member of former President Maithripala Sirisena’s media team,and unsuccessful UNP candidate at the last general election held, in August 2020, Herath has sought a ruling that Gamage couldn’t serve as an MP due to she being a British citizen.

Herath told The Island that he had sought the immediate intervention of the CID Chief after the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) recently referred a complaint he lodged with the independent commission, pertaining to the conduct of Illukpitiya, to the CID.

Responding to another query, Herath said that he brought to the CID Chief’s attention how SJB lawmaker Gamage was issued with a new passport, bearing number D 5659393, at the behest of Illukpitiya, on Sept. 22, 2022 in spite of his predecessor, Sarath Rupasinghe, declining to issue a passport, as she carried a British passport.

Herath has also brought to the DIG’s notice a certificate of naturalization issued in terms of the British Nationality Act of 1981 as tweeted by Bharatha Prabhash Tennakoon, based in France. According to Herath’s letter to DIG Ranasinghe, British citizen Gamage so far had obtained three Sri Lanka passports, bearing numbers N5091386, OL5654794 and D5659363, after having obtained a National Identity Card, bearing No. 658534300.

Herath alleged that the lawmaker had two British passports, bearing numbers 521398876 and 094425352. (SF)